Michigan's Grand Traverse Resort and Spa welcomes all guests

ACME, Mich. -- Perhaps a high-profile corporate or association group wants a conference that includes after-meeting golf clubs and first-class amenities on signature-design courses. Or it could be that a vacationing group seeks the experience of a beautiful afternoon in one fun scramble around a gorgeous golf landscape. Then again, maybe it's the challenge of 36 holes of competition each day for a hard-charging golf group that came to play, and play, and play.

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa welcomes groups of every type, and will tailor a visit to meet the desires of each. Golf until you drop - or not. Visit www.grandtraverseresort.com or call 800-236-1577 to let a staff of golf professionals help you create the perfect group outing.

"We have three championship golf courses served out of the same pro shop. That allows us to be creative and make the golf experience easier for the group and the planner," said Tom McGee, the Resort's Director of Golf. "We do as much of the work as possible, from setting up pairings to scorecards to signs on the golf cars so the group's planner is able to hand-off things to us. Then he or she can just show up with everybody else, play golf and have fun."

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is not just about golf, or the spa, or the Resort's nearby sister property Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, but it can be if the guest chooses. It can also be a little bit of everything, or some of just a few things.

Among the Resort's non-golf facilities are include indoor and outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs, an indoor water playground for the kids, a 100,000 square-foot Health Club with indoor and outdoor tennis, a private Beach Club on Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay, a licensed day care center and day camp for kids. The 900-acre Resort also boasts 86,500 square feet of versatile meeting space, the 7,000 square-foot spa, nearly 600 guest rooms and condominiums, several on-property shops, and multiple restaurants including the distinctive Aerie Restaurant & Lounge on the 16th floor of the Resort's glass Tower with spectacular views. Just four miles away is Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel where excitement, fun and winning happens 24/7/365.

To top it all off, winding around and through the stunning Northern Michigan property is first-class golf, including the Jack Nicklaus-designed The Bear, The Wolverine by Gary Player and Spruce Run by William Newcomb, not to mention the Resort's year-round Golf Academy with special events and programs for golfers of all ages.

McGee said the high standards of service and golf the Resort offers to major corporate and association outings are consistently offered to all groups.

"We cater to their needs," he said. "We do our best to take their ideas and make them a reality. And we offer a variety of ideas and options when they are looking for a unique experience for their players. We talk with the group contact, explore what they want from the experience, even find out the level of player they have in their group, and then try to put them on the appropriate golf course to make sure their goals are met.

"For instance, The Bear might be great for a scramble, but not necessarily for individual play if you have some higher-handicappers out there, because it's a difficult golf course. We steer the group in the right direction, and we even will set up a nine-hole par 3 course on the front nine of The Wolverine if that is something the group would prefer. We offer many options."

Many standard contests such as closest-to-the-pin and longest drive, are offered to groups with the Resort's well-trained golf staff taking care of the details. Things can get especially creative for groups that like the idea of a swing analysis on video during their play from the Resort's Golf Academy instructors. And for a small fee, each golfer is presented with a virtual locker to access the video, too.

"We can conduct all sorts of clinics, involve our teaching staff in different ways, really whatever the group might like to add to their outing," McGee said. "We've even set up a shootout where teams play holes as a large group with players being eliminated as they go. It depends on the time of day, the course and some other factors, but things like that can be planned and result in a great experience for the groups."

The golf staff also can offer groups the use the Resort's "55th Hole," a par 3 that is not a part of the three courses, but is maintained as an outdoor venue for contests and special events.

"We've set up hole-in-one contests, putting contests, even mini-golf with sand and rocks and other things to make it fun," McGee said. "We want to be of service to outings of every type and help them have an exceptional and memorable outing."